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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?


To: Lane3 who wrote (16386)6/10/2001 11:00:29 PM
From: long-gone  Respond to of 82486
 
Then as the true weapon of the terrorist is terror not the individual bomb, is not the Unibomber far worse because he brought about far more terror?



To: Lane3 who wrote (16386)6/12/2001 1:57:47 AM
From: Lazarus_Long  Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 82486
 
I must disagree.

First, there's the order of magnitude of the death toll.
What is the number of victims that makes the difference between a life term and a death penalty? If McVeigh had killed one less, would he deserve to live? If the Unabomber had killed one more, would he deserve to die?
I maintain the line is the difference between 0 and 1. If someone intentionally kills someone else, their own life is forfeit.

Second, the Unibomber targeted individuals, universities, and airlines. McVeigh targeted The Government.
What is so special about The Government that makes killing its employees so much worse than killing those of any other organization? Is killing a postman really a worse crime than killing a FedEx employee? Aren't the murders equal?

Attributing the difference in treatment to political wing seems more than a stretch to me.
And that I will agree with.